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On Our Radar

5 Steps to Keeping Your Small Business Secure

Small business owners face many of the same security risks and challenges as their larger counterparts, but have smaller budgets in place to protect themselves. However it doesn't take a ton of cash to keep your business and employees safe, and on their toes, while in the office.

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Fredrik Nilsson, general manager of Axis Communications, offers his five major security issues faced by small business owners, and his quick fixes for them with video surveillance.

No. 1: Theft and loss. Every business has assets, and theft and loss can happen internally and externally, Nilsson said. In retail, more than 50% of the loss stems from company employees stealing, he said.

"In smaller offices, the number might be even higher," he said.

Video surveillance is a good way to regain lost property, or if necessary, take legal action.

"If you have video, people often admit on the spot any wrong doing."

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No. 2: A faulty security system. If a small business has some type of video surveillance system in place, it's important to be sure the system is actually working. The fix here is having a tampering alarm on the security camera, Nilsson said.

"This is a huge liability for business owners," he said. "Having a camera up sometimes makes people perceive you are in a safe area, so you better make sure it works well." Such alarms detect any type of activity that occurs in regard to people touching the camera.

No. 3: Personal Protection. Again, having a video surveillance system in place lets prospective criminals know your business is being monitored 24/7.

"More and more offices need to use their capacity," Nilsson said. "They have people leaving late at night. This is an opportunity for break-ins, robberies or workplace violence."

No. 4: Erasing of records. During a robbery, it is not uncommon for criminals to take surveillance tapes with them in order to divert any chance of being caught. Nilsson said small business owners should consider having hosted video security, which is located in a separate location.

"It's very safe and secure," he said. "This is a great way of mitigating that risk."

No. 5: Lazy workers. In today's economy, small business owners can't waste any time or money on employees that aren't pulling their weight. Using surveillance can be a good way to keep workers on their toes, and know what gets done when the boss is out.

"You want to make sure people are working," Nilsson said. "Using remote monitoring, you can check in and even help out if there is a question on something when you're out of the office."